what is bentley up to now?

I have been thinking about starting a facebook page devoted to Bentley and his life and also a way to share information about Down syndrome for awhile now- but I finally sat down and started getting it together today. It seems like the best way to start something new is to raise the foundation so that everyone knows where we are at, then as I post in the future things might not be as confusing. I am really excited to have a page dedicated to Bentley and his life. I invite you to share the page widely in hopes of connecting the world with the beauty of people with Down syndrome and other disabilities. I think that their voices are often missed. My hope is that as Bentley grows he'll be able to add to his page and eventually take over if that's what he desires. I look forward to seeing what kinds of things he wants to share with all of you. We moved to Tucson about a year and a half ago. Bentley spent the first school year here at a charter school. The school offered him a full time aide (something that is very unique to charter schools- many just say that don't have proper funding to accommodate- which of course is false and illegal). He did really well at the school. However, Clayton really struggled. Our educational system is broken. We all know that. Clayton had homework in kindergarten- he'd come home with frowns on his pages. Clayton is an extremely bright child- but he's not interested in busy work. He's not interested in useless work. He rebelled against the constant sitting and structure of his kindergarten classroom. They were even doing Spelling tests. We found an alternative private school that believes in play and self motivated learning. We enrolled him after he fulfilled the 100 day requirement so the charter would receive their funding (this was important to me) and he began to thrive. The school he attends is very unstructured- with lots of choices- and lots of fun. I began bringing Bentley from time to time to see how he might do. After a lot of thought- and a lot of prayer- we decided to move Bentley over after summer vacation. I'll say the first semester he struggled. We hired an aide- but that didn't work out the way we hoped. Bentley was making friends, but he was also running in and out of classrooms and I often didn't see him engaged in work. I was working full time in the k/1 classroom and I had little time to think about how to help Bentley. My co teacher has been teaching for over 20 years and she was only working 15 hours a week. She wanted more hours at the school. I was doing well in the classroom, but as I saw my son continue to struggle I knew I needed a new plan. So after much deliberation I handed over the classroom to my co teacher and I began creating a plan for Bentley and me. Bentley has been having the most wonderful second semester. He continues to ride weekly at TROT (Therapeutic Riding for Tucson). Our school became involved in a local horse farm called Heart of the Horse and he loved going out there and working so much that we started paying for him to ride there weekly as well. He and his friend from school, Tula, ride together. They are building a sweet friendship. He is also volunteering at a local organization for 2 hours on Friday morning called TRAK (Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids). I also found an incredible gymnastics coach that is trained as an OT and he is doing gymnastics weekly. At school he has been making friends, dissecting fish, playing in the wash, building towers, and drawing regularly. Bentley continues to make us all laugh hysterically. He's really funny. I am really happy we made the move for our children to be at an independent school. There's no pressure that Bentley be like anyone- he gets to develop the skills he is good at- the things he is interested in. He isn't expected to be anyone but himself. Often times kids with special needs are expected to fit a mold... a mold that just isn't realistic for anyone really. I don't want Bentley being pushed to do things that just aren't important for his life. I want him to develop beautifully and to enjoy the things that life has to offer. For him right now that means horses and farm animals and his dogs and hikes and bike rides. If these are the only things he does in his life- I know he will live a fulfilling life. I am not worried about all the academics. I just want him to know what it feels like to summit a mountain- to swim in a spring- to ride a horse- to find lizards in the yard- to comfort those in pain and to laugh- and laugh a lot. So that's where he's at now. I'll add some pictures of late and from now on I'll move forward with my posts.